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vrijdag 13 juli 2012

He knows how to singlehandedly make the Southwest's best meth. He's saved drug kingpin Gus Fring and his ice-cold enforcer, Mike, from certain death. And he beat the tar out of his partner, Walter White, before teaming up with him again to kill Gus.

He also has a few hundred thousand dollars put away. So why doesn't he quit the meth game?

"Because Walter White has Jesse in the palm of his hand," says Paul, who won a supporting actor Emmy for the role. "And Walt knows just exactly how to manipulate Jesse to do whatever he wants."

The push-pull between Walt (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse is at the center of the show, which returns Sunday for its fifth and final season. Once Jesse was the glorified assistant. Now, Walt realizes that he couldn't have achieved his greatest victory without Jesse – even if he had to ruthlessly manipulate him into helping. We talked with Paul about Jesse's guilt complex, his need for a father figure, and saying "bitch" a lot.

You've said this season is "the craziest one yet." Can you pinpoint when things go crazy?Aaron Paul: Well, Jesse dies in the third episode… No. It's a sprint until the final eight and the final eight are going to be just a bloodbath, I'm sure.

Do you know that for sure or is that just the direction things seem to be going in?It's "Breaking Bad." I cannot imagine anything good happening. Nothing good ever happens. I have no idea what's going to happen. They keep us in the dark.

Without saying what it is, Jesse has a really good idea in the first episode. And it's almost ignored. But it's an idea that doesn't even occur to Walt even though it's in Walt's wheelhouse. What does that tell us about where Jesse is and where he's going?I think it's a huge testament to where he is right now. Jesse is always willing to throw out ideas. But usually they didn't stick and didn't make sense. And now he throws out this idea that no one else is thinking of and it makes perfect sense. It shows that Jesse knows sometimes what he's talking about. And he's a huge player in this.

Why does Walt have so much pull over him?Jesse has always strived for acceptance from a fatherly figure and he looks to Walt for that. And last season he looked to Mike for that. He just wants to make them proud.

That father-child bond seems sacred to him, the way he wants to protect kids.Yeah. He does want to protect kids. He has a big heart. There's many shades to him.

You talked in a recent Nerdist Podcast interview about the number of people who come up to you and want you to call them "bitch" in character as Jesse. How often do you hear "bitch" screamed from passing cars or something?Almost on a day-to-day basis, to be honest. I don't ever use that word in my day-to-day life. But so many people ask me to call them bitch. Or say, "Please call my wife a bitch!" It's so funny. I think this is the first and only time where a human being can call someone that and it's okay. It's fascinating to me.

Was "bitch" an ad-lib on your part, or was that the writers?That was definitely the writers. 99.9 percent of all the "bitches" are scripted.

Do you think that's his ultimate insult?It's not even an insult. It's just part of his dialogue : "Yeah, bitch!" … It's all about the way he says it. It can mean, "We've succeeded," or "We've accomplished something."

Jesse has really good at everything. He can make the meth himself, he saved Mike and Gus's lives last season, he kicked Walt's ass. He's really in a position of strength.Finally. In season three he was trying to convince himself that he was the bad guy because he had all this guilt about Jane dying. At the end of season 3 he had proved that he was the bad guy because he murdered Gale, the nicest guy ever on "Breaking Bad." And then last season he was just completely lost and confused. And finally this season he's getting his footing and he's stable. He's in a strength position. But in "Breaking Bad" it keeps heading in one direction and then it veers off.

It seems like guilt is the only thing holding him back. And if he gets past it he can out-Walter White Walter White.Exactly. And this season Walter White's hardly even there. Heisenberg has completely taken over.

The Only Way Is Essex star Gemma Collins has been criticised by the UK's advertising watchdog today for posting two promotional tweets that were not marked as advertising.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found that Collins had tweeted on behalf of hair salon chain Toni & Guy in April, but not flagged up to her 560,000 followers that they were marketing communications.

The ruling comes as brands are increasingly coming under the attention of regulators over their efforts to get high-profile people to post promotional messages on their popular social media profiles.

Sportswear giant Nike has lodged an appeal to overturn a recent ruling by the ASA that the tweets posted by two footballers should have been marked as ads.

In her two tweets, Collins had reported how great her hair looked after visiting a Toni & Guy studio in the Lakeside shopping centre.

She also encouraged her followers to get a 10% discount by referencing her name at the Lakeside salon.

The first tweet stated: "In @Toniandguylside having such a wonderful time defo got my hair back to good condition 10% off call today and quote #gemma x"

Followed by: "10% off @Toniandguylside I have the most amazeballs hair colour and condition best salon ever call and say #gemma for discount xx."

After a complainant contacted the ASA, Toni & Guy Lakeside said that Collins had visited their salon, but they had decided to waive the cost of her hair treatment.

They attempted to argue that Collins was so pleased with their service that she decided to tweet about it. She had apparently asked about offering a discount, and it was agreed that she should mention it.

Toni & Guy claimed that the tweets had been compiled by Collins on the "spur of the moment" and were not intended to be a formal advertising campaign.

However, the ASA said that without a clear identifier, such as "#ad", the tweets were not clearly marked to the public as marketing communications by Toni & Guy.

"The tweets appeared to have been written on a spontaneous visit to the salon and users could have interpreted them as referring to a pre-existing 10% off sales promotion, which Gemma Collins had herself taken advantage of on her visit," said the ASA.

"The tweets did encourage users to quote "#gemma" but, in the context of the whole tweets, users could have overlooked the significance of that or not understood that it related directly to Miss Collins.

"In the absence of an identifier such as "#ad", we considered the tweets were not obviously identifiable as Toni and Guy marketing communications and therefore concluded they breached the Code."

The regulator said that the ads must not appear again and warned Toni & Guy that it must "ensure that its advertising was obviously identifiable as such".

Meanwhile, Nike has asked for an independent review of the ASA's ban on its Twitter campaign, which was fronted by brand ambassadors Wayne Rooney and Jack Wilshire.

Nike, which was the first company in the UK to have a Twitter campaign banned, has refused to remove the tweets despite the ASA's ruling.

The company claims that the messages were part of its wider Make It Count campaign, and denies that it "misled" consumers.

Armando Iannucci's award-winning political comedy The Thick Of It will return for a fourth series later this year on BBC Two.

BBC Two has announced that the show will return in the autumn for a new run of seven 30-minute episodes in the autumn.

The new series promises to feature "Government embarrassment, ministerial cock-ups, Coalition rows, backroom deals, policy U-turns, spin-doctoring, political back-stabbing, wild media speculation, and more time spent with one's family".

Teasing the fourth series, Iannucci said: "This series takes The Thick of It into exciting and uncharted territory: a new Coalition Government, and Malcolm and Nicola fretting in the wings.

"For the first time too a storyline takes us all the way through the series right to the bitter, bitter end, with Government and Opposition convulsed in an incident that questions every political convention imaginable, but in a funny way."

Roger Allam is back as Peter Mannion MP, the new Secretary of State for The Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship (DOSAC), supported by a team of special advisors.

Number 10's Director of Communications Stewart Pearson is played by Vincent Franklin, while Geoffrey Streatfeild is cast as new Coalition partner, DOSAC's Junior Minister Fergus Williams MP.

Rebecca Front and Peter Capaldi reprise their roles as Nicola Murray MP and foul-mouthed spin doctor Malcolm Tucker, who are still desperately hoping for a return to power after being relegated to Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

BBC Two Controller Janice Hadlow said: "I am delighted to welcome The Thick Of It back to BBC Two. It is an essential part of the BBC Two comedy offering this year. A new Coalition government, what better time for a new series of The Thick Of It?"

Mark Freeland, Head of Comedy at the BBC, said: "I'm excited to see The Thick Of It return to our screens. With an outstanding cast and team, it is still at the bleeding edge of British politics, one of the freshest and most biting satires you'll find on TV.

"No other show could coin the term 'Omnishambles' and see it become part of the political lexicon."

Welcome once again to our annual "first look" at the broadcast networks' offerings for the 2012-2013 season, now in its seventh year! Each day we'll walk you through one of the new series set to premiere next season (or one that didn't make the cut) and go over our initial impressions after viewing the pilot. Keep in mind that a lot can change from what's being screened right now - recasting, reshooting, etc. - but we still want to give you a heads up on what you should (and shouldn't) keep on your radar in the coming months. So enough of our rambling, on with the show!

[IMPORTANT NOTE: The following is based on the original sales presentation which was screened to us privately or supplied by a third party NOT an informational, not-for-review screener provided by the network in question.]

The network's description: "Investigative journalist Jeff Sefton has learned to laugh off his brother Nate's relentless string of obsessions, especially his latest rant that a hit TV show intends to harm him. However, when his brother mysteriously disappears, Jeff takes Nate's paranoia seriously, and in the process uncovers the dark underworld of the TV show "Cult" and its rabid fans. The only person who seems willing to help Jeff with his investigation is Skye, a young research assistant for "Cult," who has also started to grow suspicious of the increasingly dark happenings surrounding the show. The fictitious show, centered on the cat-and-mouse game between charismatic cult leader Billy Grimm and LAPD detective Kelly Collins, has become an obsession for its viewers - and now some of its devotees seem to be taking their fixation to deadly extremes in the real world. As Jeff and Skye dig deeper into the fan world, they discover that the gruesome plot twists on television are much more than fantasy for some very unfortunate people. The hardcore fans of "Cult" would kill to see what happens next...

What did they leave out? "Cult" was originally set to film a pilot for The WB in 2006 - featuring Matt Bomer in the Matt Davis role and to be directed by Yves Simoneau - but production was terminated as a result of the UPN/The WB merger. Plus, the pilot will make its world premiere tonight at Comic-Con International: San Diego.

The plot in a nutshell: "They come because they want to belong, to be part of the unconditional love, the acceptance that I offer," famed cult leader Billy Grimm (Robert Knepper) explains in footage from the 2009 documentary "Cults in America." And with that we meet Kelly Collins (Alona Tal), a driven LAPD detective/former member of said cult, who blames Billy for the disappearance of her sister and nephew. What she doesn't have however is proof, just the same cryptic last words from Billy's alleged victims: "Well hey, these things just, snap right off." Thankfully all of the above isn't real: it's from the latest episode of "Cult," a new series on The CW.

Among its ardent follows is Nate Sefton (James Pizzinato), who like many superfans is constantly looking for clues inside the show to unlock a larger mystery. He's nevertheless a little too invested, telling his investigative reporter brother Jeff (Matt Davis) that someone is actually after him, trying to stop his efforts. And while Jeff initially dismisses them as flights of fancy from a recovering drug addict, when Nate goes missing - leaving a pool of blood behind in his apartment - he can't help but wonder if there's something to his theory. He's not alone either: Skye Yarrow (Jessica Lucas), a production assistant on "Cult," has found that some of the show's fan sites have gotten... a little extreme to say the least. She realizes Jeff is a kindred spirit during his botched attempt to see Steven Rae, the show's reclusive creator, and agrees to help him in his quest. Together they just might figure out what exactly is going on.

What works: I've shamelessly been in love with this script since reading it back in 2006. Subliminal cuts to title cards that say "Do Not Watch This," 3D glasses that show hidden clues, a meta commentary on the obsessive nature of TV fandom - what's not to love? The end product however...

What doesn't: ...is resounding disappointment. First and foremost is the show-within-a-show comes across as downright silly, like a bad syndicated drama from the 1990s with Knepper taking a knife and fork to the scenery and everyone else serving as wooden furniture. In theory that could be a lot of fun - if that was the point - however here "Cult" is lionized to the point of becoming a religion, like it's the love child of "Lost" and "Firefly," run by Hart Hanson and starring Gale Harold. The end result makes the idea of such a fervent fanbase - let alone one that would commit crimes in its name - feel like science fiction in itself.

Even worse, it gives the rest of the show an air of unabashed manipulation as clues practically have neon signs pointing to them and characters neuter themselves without a thought in the name of keeping the mystery going. And yet even with all of the above in mind, part of me still clings to the idea that this could become something. After all a concept like this doesn't survive for seven years - The WB first committed to a script in August of 2005 - without it having some undeniable hooks. Coupled with a likeable lead in Davis, in theory it could stick in the long run. As it is though...

Bryan Cranston is mock-berating his boss, and it’s fun to watch. He takes a sheaf of script pages and flings them at "Breaking Bad" showrunner Vince Gilligan, sputtering angrily all the while: "You could turn it over and use it as scratch paper, because all this stuff...Nada! I was hoping for some improvement! Ridiculous! Aren’t you embarrassed?"

Floating sheets of script settle slowly to the floor as Gilligan, aiming for a deadpan expression rather than trying to match acting chops with his much-honored leading man, ends up looking credibly agog.

We spoke to Cranston and Gilligan weeks before Sunday's season 5 premiere of "Breaking Bad," their viciously addictive AMC drama. In a photo session at our West Los Angeles office, they proved to be the friendliest of colleagues. And why not? The first four seasons of the show culminated in a jaw-dropping season finale in October. The fifth season picks up Sunday right where it left off – after a maddening opening sequence that will unnerve fans as much as anything the show has done.

The show landed 16 Emmy nominations and six wins in its first three seasons, before the vicissitudes of network scheduling made it ineligible for last year’s race. Its cast and crew will find out soon after Sunday's return how their fourth season fared – the Emmy nominations will be announced next Thursday.

The fifth and final season's sixteen episodes will be split across this summer and next. It will complete a story that began in 2008 with a grim setup: a high-school chemistry teacher, Walter White (Cranston), decides that the most lucrative way to provide for his family in the face of a fatal cancer diagnosis is to begin making and selling methamphetamine.

Cranston leaves little doubt where it’s all heading. "We are going to discover that if you lie down with dogs you are gonna get fleas, and you can’t be surprised by that," he says, ominously. "Things are gonna turn darker and uglier."

Darker than the arc of arch-villain Gus Fring? Darker than a certain deception involving our principals and a poisonous plant? Darker than rubbing out people who get in the way of Walter White’s steadily metastasizing meth-cooking and distribution scheme?

With no slight intended toward his fellow actors on "Breaking Bad," including Aaron Paul as Walt’s weirdly capable partner (except when he’s not) Jesse, Anna Gunn as wife Skyler and Giancarlo Esposito as smooth criminal Fring, Cranston is the endlessly fascinating center of the drama, as surely as James Gandolfini’s Tony was at the heart of the "The Sopranos."

Before the one-year break, Cranston won three consecutive Emmys as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Paul won for supporting dramatic actor. Cranston says awards and recognition are merely byproducts of what he found when he first stepped onto a stage: “It was empowering to affect a large group of people emotionally.”

When it’s suggested to Gilligan that a hugely dominant and irreplaceable lead actor can occasionally create almost as many problems as opportunities, the daring, inventive storyteller grins. "Yes, sometimes it really goes south," Gilligan says in his soft-toned Virginia accent, thankful that’s not his problem. "The quality that made our show work was Bryan, and I’d say that whether he was standing here or not.

"Our main character is a guy who decides to become a criminal, a bad guy. And as you would expect, during that process he becomes less and less likeable. If you had someone in the role who at base was less than sympathetic, less than likeable, you’d be off on very poor footing from the git-go."

Indeed, Cranston knew how to do likeable: He’d spent seven seasons and earned three Emmy nominations as the dad on the ‘90s sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle."

"Aside from just immense reservoirs of talent as an actor, Bryan is one of the most sympathetic and likeable and human -- as in full of humanity -- people I ever met," Gilligan adds. "I don’t know how he keeps the audience on his side as much as he does, with some of the reprehensible things that his character does."

Cranston’s immersion in the saga is all the more impressive given his antipathy for the path Walter has chosen. Does he give the character any slack for trying to provide for his family in the face of a prognosis of death in two years? "His family really doesn’t need saving," says Cranston. "He feels that he wants to leave a legacy. He wants to leave them with something quantitative, so that after he dies they can look back and say, 'Well, we’ll miss him, but at least he provided for us,' and 'Thank you dad, I can go to college' and all that. So he compromised his moral integrity, but whenever you do that for financial gain you’ve lost your soul. You've sold out in the truest sense of the word."

Cranston adds that he understands some of the character’s impulse, but only to a point. "It’s not so hard for me as a man to get into that survival instinct, or protecting your family," he says. "Most men take on that responsibility. But the thing that is difficult for me to accept is his whole ego. His hubris and greed and avaricious nature are foreign to me. I have to allow myself to go there and have him become the peacock that he is."

Indeed, the space occupied by Walter White is one rife with threats and held together by dark secrets. "People live double standards all the time, and I believe that’s possible," he says. "In fiction, it used to be that in order for audiences to believe that someone could be vicious, the character had to be vicious all the time.

But human beings are much more capable of showing a wider variety and a deeper expression of their emotions. That vicious guy could, in an act of complete dispassion, execute someone, and then go home and pick up his little baby girl and be gentle and soft and loving and complete. It is within us as human beings to show that kind of range."

You might think that after playing the character for three years, Cranston might have some ideas about where things should go from here. But he insists that's not the case, that in Vince he trusts. "This is his baby," he says. "I’m the surrogate father, but he is the sperm donor, and he fathered this. He is the master and commander, and there is no discussion of where it’s going. I don’t even ask him."

As for the show’s finale, which will have the enormous pressure of ending an iconic series in a satisfying manner, "I honestly don’t know what’s gonna happen," Cranston says. "I think it’s safe to say that the stories will break bad before they’ll break good, and that was the promise we made at the beginning: that this is all about change, about this man’s ill-conceived ideas that forced him to become something he’s not."

At any rate, he seems completely at ease with whatever dark fictional events will come along via his remarkable collaboration with Gilligan. "There’s no way there’s gonna be any cop-out here," he promises. "The outcome’s never gonna be 100 percent pleasing to everyone. But if you truly think about it, whatever Vince comes up with, you’ll end up saying, 'That’s vintage 'Breaking Bad' -- of course it ended that way.'"

He’s then called to enact one more charade for the camera with Gilligan, and again he gleefully berates the showrunner, flinging the pages tantrum-style. "You’ve had four or five chances and failed every one!" he barks convincingly. "What’s the matter with you? If I was paying you, I’d fire you."

After some long...hard...thoughts...I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit," said Tyler. "I strayed from my first love, AEROSMITH, and I'm back - but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I've got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band. The next few years are going to be dedicated to kicking some serious ass - the ultimate in auditory takeover...On Nov. 6, we are unleashing our new album, Music from Another Dimension on the Earth, Moon, Mars, and way beyond the stars...IDOL was over-the-top fun, and I loved every minute of it...Now it's time to bring Rock Back. ERMAHGERD."

"It's been a tremendous honor to have Steven - one of the most prolific artists in the world - on AMERICAN IDOL for the past two seasons," said Mike Darnell, President of Alternative Entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company. "He's been a terrific judge, a true friend and great mentor to everyone involved with the show, and we know he'll continue to be a huge inspiration to IDOL hopefuls for years to come. We are very sad that Steven has chosen to focus more on his music, but we always knew when we hired a rock 'n' roll legend, he would go back to the music. We all wish him all the best and would love to have him back on the show anytime."

"Steven Tyler is a real 'Idol,' a rock legend. If you had told me 10 years ago he would be a judge on AMERICAN IDOL, I would have thought it impossible," stated IDOL creator and executive producer Simon Fuller. "The fact that this became a reality and we had the pleasure of him gracing our stage for two seasons makes me very proud. I completely understand his desire to get back to his life as the singer in America's greatest-ever rock band. AMERICAN IDOL will miss him!"

"We're all very thankful and privileged that Steven joined AMERICAN IDOL two years ago," said Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO, FremantleMedia. "A true music icon, he not only brought rock 'n' roll to the show, but also his exceptional taste in spotting and nurturing undiscovered talent. We will sincerely miss his poetic phrases, his remarkable creativity and his unique spirit. We're sad about his departure from the show, but understand his decision to return to music full-time and hope he'll be back to grace the AMERICAN IDOL stage in seasons to come."

Highlights include the original movies "Puppy Love," "I Married Who?," "Common Law," "The Good Witch's Charm" and "Love at the Thanksgiving Parade."

'MARIE'Hallmark Channel Original SeriesMonday, October 1 (12 Noon ET/PT, 11C)The debut of this new Hallmark Channel Original Series marks the long-overdue evolution of the iconic Marie Osmond to the daily talk show world. To be sure, the woman has done pretty much everything else in her glorious and storied career: movie star, national variety show star, recording superstar, Broadway star, Las Vegas stage shows-stopper, and so much more. But with "Marie," she may finally be growing into a role that fits her better than any other. Here, after all, is a woman who has not only known great fame but also great tragedy. The talk show will afford Osmond an opportunity to share in the lives of others, both the famous and non-celebrities alike. With the one-hour daily lunchtime show on Hallmark Channel, she will impart her insights on surviving all of life's roadblocks and detours, along with heartfelt advice about how to deal with great adversity and move forward with dignity, humor and optimism. Guests are expected to include both Osmond's own family, to everyday people with extraordinary experiences, to her closest girlfriends, to leading experts in a diverse crop of fields. Osmond has indeed proven something of an American barometer in demonstrating how to face life's greatest challenges with unrelenting class, dignity, and courage. She plans in 'Marie" to borrow from her vast reserve of life experiences - including marriage and divorce, the trials of raising eight children, and her own battles with depression - to provide wisdom and optimism for viewers facing their own issues. The one constant that we've seen in Osmond's own life is her uncanny ability to pick herself up, dust herself off, and move forward no matter the obstacles placed in her path. She's pretty much the living embodiment of the phrase, "Tough times don't last, but tough people do." This lady is as strong as they come, and at the same time immensely lovable. We root for Marie Osmond because she doesn't pretend to be perfect, and she's used her struggles as an example of quiet strength. So if you're in the market for a new talk show that's pretty much guaranteed to inspire, you know where to turn.

'HOME & FAMILY'Hallmark Channel Original Lifestyle SeriesMonday, October 1 (10 a.m. ET/PT, 9C)This brand new Hallmark Channel Lifestyle Series debuting this fall (and airing weekday mornings at 10am ET/PT, 9C) is one of the more innovative concepts to arise in the daytime TV spectrum. The idea is this: build a 2,446-square-foot, fully-functioning, New England Colonial-style home on the backlot at Universal Studios in California. Then use the rooms in the house to raise discussion about everything in the domestic universe, from home improvement tips and trends to segments about products and services covering every area inside and outside the home. Finally, hire a couple of pros named Mark Steines and Paige Davis to pull it all together in a pioneering daily two-hour dialogue. Steines is the Emmy Award-winning journalist who once hosted "Entertainment Tonight" and cracked People Magazine's 2004 list of the Sexiest Men in America. Davis is a Broadway star and the beloved onetime host of the blockbuster reality series "Trading Spaces." Together, Steines and Davis make co-hosting magic while turning viewers on to the latest in home improvement while also sharing the spotlight with celebrity guests, sports stars and experts in every area of domestic life. They'll show you how to buy a week's worth of groceries for $100; how to grow organic hothouse tomatoes; how to SKYPE; and how to find bargains on everything from automotive to lawn and garden. If you want to modernize your bathroom or choose the best gift for Mother's Day, "Home & Family" will be all over that, too. The show's production will also incorporate visitors taking the famed Universal Studios Tour, featuring performers entertaining audiences on a specially-constructed stage overlooking the famed Psycho House at Universal. Put it all together and you've got a series that promises to revitalize the daytime TV landscape with its multi-pronged approach to lifestyle programming. At last, a show that isn't just all talk. "Home & Family" is about showing, doing, and providing answers every step of the way.

'PUPPY LOVE'Hallmark Channel Original Movie World PremiereSaturday, September 8 (9p.m. ET/PT, 8C)Pro-baseball player Ben (Victor Webster) is devastated to find his pup has slipped out of the house thanks to a careless roommate and as a result, his dog "Jake" (Bug Z) ends up at the local shelter. Meanwhile, Megan (Candace Cameron Bure) and her daughter Caitlin (Katie Hawkins) are at the local shelter to find Caitlin a best friend to help her adjust to a new town. Caitlin is immediately drawn to Jake, the biggest, happiest, sloppiest dog in the pound; and the two fall in love. Hesitant, Megan worries about such an energetic dog, but she relents and adopts. Ben is relieved to hear the shelter has taken Jake in, but through a mix-up, Megan and Caitlin leave with the dog just as Ben is going in to claim him. In a tale filled with heart (and a whole lot of fur), Ben and Megan are forced to share custody of Jake. Initially, the couple clashes over how to raise Jake; however, spending so much time together has its benefits. Soon, there is a whole different kind of puppy love going on. The "Puppy Love" premiere is the inaugural event for Hallmark Channel's Pet Project, an evergreen initiative to save the lives of Homeless Pets through adoption.

'I MARRIED WHO?'Hallmark Movie Channel Original World PremiereSaturday, October 6 (8p.m. ET/PT, 7C)Straight-laced Jordan Brady (Kellie Martin) is about to marry her perfect match, Peter Drake (Bradley Snedeker), a clean-cut ambitious attorney. Before she walks down the aisle, Jordan and her best friends, Claire (Adrienne Frantz) and Jessica (Daphnee Duplaix), head to Vegas for her bachelorette party. Unable to recall the night before, Jordan panics when she wakes up in movie star Matt Swift's (Ethan Erickson) hotel suite with a gigantic diamond on her finger and a marriage certificate lying nearby. Before Jordan can have the marriage annulled and put this nightmare behind her, the impromptu wedding explodes into a publicity stunt fueled by Matt's manager Eric (Bruce Nozick) to promote his latest movie. With her wedding day approaching, Jordan finds herself more confused than ever when she starts falling in love with the movie star she's married to instead of the fiancé she thought was her perfect match.

'COMMON LAW'Hallmark Movie Channel Original World PremiereSaturday, October 13 (8p.m. ET/PT, 7C)Jennifer (Natalie Hall) and Kevin (Darin Brooks) have been inseparable since becoming best friends at age six. So when Jennifer graduates from college and begins building a career in charity, she thinks it's only right to let drop-out Kevin live in her newly purchased house until he gets back on his feet. Seven years later, Jennifer is continuing up the career ladder while Kevin is still golf caddying and waiting for his big break. Jennifer is happy to let Kevin march to his own beat, but her new boyfriend, arrogant corporate manipulator Bryce (Ryan Doom), wants her to kick Kevin to the curb. Oblivious to his cheating ways, Jennifer is ecstatic when Bryce asks her to marry him after only six months of dating, secretly using her angelic reputation to gain favor with his boss Mrs. Von Hoffman (Frances Fisher). Kevin catches Bryce cheating and is determined to spare Jennifer an unhappily ever after experience. With a little help from his brother who is in law school, and support from his meddling neighbor Mr. Henderson (George Wendt), Kevin finds out he is legally married to Jennifer in a common law marriage after living together for exactly seven years. Now it's up to Kevin to prove he is Jennifer's equal - forever.

'THE GOOD WITCH'S CHARM'Hallmark Channel Original Movie World PremiereSaturday, October 27 (9p.m. ET/PT, 8C)The kind-hearted 'good witch' and newly appointed Mayor, Cassie Nightingale (Catherine Bell) is excitedly planning a much needed family vacation with her husband, Jake (Chris Potter), step-children and newborn. But this is threatened when her charming small town is harassed by a string of mysterious crimes and a nosy investigative reporter is spreading sensationalized stories on the internet labeling Cassie as a witch. Not only is she under the public microscope, but Cassie's step-daughter is suddenly accused of being responsible for the recent robberies. To make matters worse, Cassie's estranged foster mother arrives in town after seeing Cassie on the internet and immediately the two are at odds. As the pressure builds, Cassie considers stepping down as Mayor of Middleton in order to protect her new family. Together with her loyal family and friends, Cassie must find a way to put a stop to the rumors using the signature charm she's known for before it's too late.

'LOVE AT THE THANKSGIVING PARADE'Hallmark Channel Original Movie World PremiereSunday, November 4 (8p.m. ET/PT, 7C)Chicago native Emily Jones (Autumn Reeser) loves her city, and has dedicated her career to coordinating its beloved Thanksgiving Day parade every year. This year, Emily is hoping for a memorable holiday and anticipating a long-awaited proposal from her long-distance boyfriend Brian (Ben Cotton). Then, the parade director hires a wealthy development consultant, Henry Williams (Antonio Cupo), to analyze the finances of the parade and increase profits. Immediately writing Henry off as a privileged playboy, Emily worries he will ruin the joyful spirit of the parade, not knowing how much it means to the city like she does. As the two are forced to work together to pull off a successful production, Emily is determined to show Henry she's in charge. But when Emily suffers a sudden setback, she starts to rely on Henry to help her through it, and suddenly realizes she might be falling for him.

MTV announced to a packed room of fans at Comic-Con today the pick-up of a third season of its hit drama series "Teen Wolf." Season three will feature 24 episodes, double the number of its first and second seasons, and will shoot in Los Angeles. This unprecedented pick-up marks the first time an MTV primetime scripted series has been renewed for a third season and the largest episode order in the scripted category to date.

"'Teen Wolf' represents a terrific foray into the scripted world for the millennial MTV audience, and marks tremendous success in the continued diversification of our schedule," said David Janollari, Head of MTV Programming. "Renewing the show for a third season celebrates the creative vision of Executive Producer Jeff Davis and the remarkable talent of the cast who bring this bona fide fan favorite to life."

"Teen Wolf" was the #1 show in its time period among teens during its season one run, and has continued to reign in the demo throughout the second season. The series currently ranks as the #1 series across all TV in its time period among the key P12-34 demo, and draws 1.8 million total viewers each week.

On the social front, "Teen Wolf" is dominating the conversation, ranking weekly as one of the most social shows on cable, according to Trendrr. In addition, the series is seeing triple digit gains in both Facebook and Twitter engagement.

In the all-new episode on Monday, July 16, Scott and Stiles come up with a method to trap the new lizard-like shapeshifter, the Kanima, during a secret concert, while Allison's mother devises a plan of her own to take care of Scott once and for all. Will everyone make it out alive? "Teen Wolf" airs Monday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Click here for a special sneak peek.

To check out the music featured in Monday night's episode and for free downloads of featured songs, visit Soundtrack.MTV.com. For more ways to connect with "Teen Wolf" like it on Facebook or follow the show on Twitter.

Charlie Brooker's critically-acclaimed dark comedy series Black Mirror will return in 2013 with a second series, it has been confirmed.

Channel 4 will air three more 60-minute dramas from Brooker, who will begin filming next month.

The first series featured twisted tales about a fictional Prime Minister being blackmailed into performing a sex act on a pig, a satire on entertainment shows and a story about an alternative reality where most people have a mechanism which records everything they do, see or hear.

"Half of the things in the first run of Black Mirror seem to be on the verge of coming true. They've got prisoners in Brazilian prisons pedalling on exercise bikes to reduce their sentences (not entirely dissimilar to the episode '15 Million Merits') and Google Glass looks like copyright infringement as far as 'The Entire History of You' is concerned," said Brooker.

"Thankfully no-one carried out a hideous form of blackmail involving a pig. Anyway, if the stories from the second run start coming true then we're REALLY in trouble."

Channel 4's comedy commissioner Shane Allen said: "British drama seems particularly obsessed with murder and the past, often together. Black Mirror is a rare modern look at where society and individuals could be headed given the all-pervasive deluge of social media and technology.

"Charlie Brooker exudes that same pioneering spirit of Dennis Potter and Chris Morris with their daring, complex, compelling originality."

Tensions have resurfaced between Caroline Wharram and Luke Anderson in the Big Brother house.

The pair, who have not been close in the house, had begun to mellow towards each other, but comments from Caroline about Luke's change of gender appeared to bring old problems back.

Scott Mason observed: "She puts her foot in things, Caroline.

"They were talking about his sex change, and said, 'So the comment I made about the day was valid, you would know a lot about make-up' and he just went 'Just because I was a girl does not mean I like make-up'.

"It went all awkward and she kept saying things and it kept getting worse, it got more and more awkward and he got more and more annoyed."

Later, Adam Kelly, Luke A and Lauren Carre caught Caroline bitching, which kickstarted further problems in the house.

Caroline and Lauren clashed over the incident, with the latter complaining: "It's really hard when you're bitching. You were having a lovely conversation with Luke A, telling him how he was a remarkable person and five minutes later you were bitching about him."

Caroline blamed Lauren for gossiping about her and called her a "spoon". She also alleged that Luke A had got "really furious" and "stormed out" of their discussion.

Luke A's story was very different, claiming: "I was sort of snoozing, she came in screaming and I was like, 'Can you keep it down a bit'. And that was it. They were like, 'Oh, he stormed out!'"

Becky Hannon's version of events was somewhere between the two, commenting: "Me and Caroline got shouted at by Luke A because he wanted to sleep. He came storming out, banging on the Diary Room door."

On a low-rated Wednesday night loaded with repeats, "So You Think You Can Dance" and "America's Got Talent" shared first place in ratings, with Fox scoring an overall win for the night, according to preliminary numbers.

"So You Think You Can Dance," which filled Fox's primetime slate from 8 to 10 p.m., was down 10 percent from its last airing two weeks ago. But it still snagged the night's top ratings in the advertiser-coveted 18-49 demographic, giving Fox an average 1.9 rating/6 share for the night. The network also took first in total viewers with 5.7 million.

Univision edged out NBC for second place in the demo with a 1.4/5 and fifth in total viewers with 3.8 million.

NBC took third place in ratings and second in total viewers with a 1.4/4 and 5.5 million. The network aired repeats throughout the night aside from "Talent" at 9. Despite a 32 percent drop from two weeks ago, "AGT" tied "Dance" for first with a 1.9/6, and scored first place in total viewers with 7.9 million.

ABC came in fourth in ratings and total viewers with a 1.1/4 and 3.9 million. Aside from "ABC News: Final Witness" at 10, which posted a 1.1/3 and drew 4.3 million total viewers, the network aired repeats.

CBS took fifth in ratings with a 1.0/3 and third in total viewers with 5.1 million. Following "Dogs in the City" at 8, which drew a 0.9/3 and received 4.7 million total viewers, the network aired reruns.

"Walking Dead" showrunner Glen Mazzara is a comic book addict in the midst of a relapse -- just in time for Comic-Con.

Mazzara, who grew up loving comics -- especially Chris Claremont's run on "The Uncanny X-Men" and Frank Miller's on "Daredevil" -- now adapts one of the best books of the last decade. He and his writers, including "Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman, will be at Comic-Con on Friday to preview the third season of the AMC hit based on Kirkman's stories.

Since taking on the showrunner job last year, Mazzara has fallen in love with comics again. He plans to spend Comic-Con seeking out some of his favorite writers, just as legions of undead fans swarm after him.

We talked previously with Mazzara about his plans for "Walking Dead" -- including how he wants to end the show. So this time, we're focusing on Comic-Con, including what panels he plans to see and what he's reading now.

We also talked about Mazzara's plans post-"Walking Dead" and learned that he retains a fascination with Daredevil, a blind lawyer by day whose other senses are dramatically amplified. Ben Affleck played him in one of Marvel's less successful big screen adaptations, but Mazzara thinks he might play better on TV.

Who knows? He might even be interested in writing it, if someone can work out the rights.

What should people expect at the 'Walking Dead' panel?They should expect a very lively panel. We shut down production, so we're bringing the cast and all of the producers. Comic-Con is really the central event for our year. We're really, really excited. It's going to feel fresh, exciting, epic. And I really think that fans will feel like the entire world of the 'Walking Dead' has exploded and opened up in a very, very exciting way. … We're coming heavy.

What panels do you hope to attend, and who do you hope to see?"Breaking Bad," and one of our writers, Scott Gimple, will be sitting on an interesting TV panel about serialized shows that got canceled too soon. What the writers would have done. I love Scott and that will be interesting. Mark Waid – I'm a big fan of his. He's currently writing "Daredevil." That will be exciting.

Circle of Confusion is doing a Walking Dead obstacle course I think will be fun if I don't get killed. Robert's throwing a party for "The Walking Dead" issue 100. Meeting Ed Brubaker, he's a friend of Robert's, and I'm a big Brubaker fan. J. Michael Straczynski is currently writing "Before Watchment" – he's writing some of those.

You're obviously a comics guy.I grew up reading comics, and I moved away from it, and over the past year I've really gotten back into it. I'm currently reading "Morning Glories," which I think is terrific, I love "Locke and Key."

I've been reading a lot. I've been catching up with Grant Morrison's stuff, and Alan Moore of course. There's a lot of great stuff that I've missed over the past few years that I've been able to read in the collected editions. I've been reading comic books nonstop now since the beginning of the year. They know me well at Earth 2 on Ventura Boulevard.

What did you read as a kid?I really loved Chris Claremont's "X-Men" run, the Dark Phoenix saga. And Frank Miller's "Daredevil" run was just instrumental for how I tell a story.

What did you think of "The Avengers"?I really loved 'Avengers.' I took my family to it. I've never met Joss Whedon, I thought he did an incredible job. What I really loved about it is each character had stuff to do. I though he had a brilliant sequence when Captain America throws Black Widow onto one of the alien ships and she takes it down. The fact that he kept everybody engaged, he was really a master at making sure everybody had an individual point of view. It had heart, it was funny. I really loved it.

When you next have free time, are there any comic adaptions that you'd really like to do?That's interesting. I've thought about that, but I'm actually interested in developing my own material. I've done adaptations and worked on other people's shows, and I'm really interested in bringing to life some stories that I have sitting in notebooks. And hopefully "The Walking Dead" will be a good healthy run, but there's stuff I'm feeling around on the side.

Is it more fantastical, or rooted in a world like ours?It's interesting. "The Walking Dead" is fantastic, but it's also gritty and grounded and feels realistic. I think that is the perfect zone for me. If something becomes too fantastic I may not be the writer for that. I think any genre piece I do would need to feel grounded like "The Walking Dead."

I've dreamed of seeing a "Daredevil: Born Again" movie based on the Frank Miller storyline – and that may be the next Daredevil movie. It seems like that would be perfect for you.I think they're reinventing – I love Daredevil. I would actually argue that Daredevil could be a great TV series. If you could do it, I really think Daredevil is one of those long-running arcs that you could really push in and develop that character. That's something I would consider adapting.

He's a superhero, but he's not a flying superhero who can lift 10 tons.It's a believable world. It's a world we all recognize: It's a gritty New York world from the late '70s-early '80s.

The idea of that hero in an urban blight is kind of interesting. I have thought about a Daredevil TV [show]. I would watch that.

And you grew up in Queens in early '80s, exactly when Frank Miller was writing Daredevil. Not in Hell's Kitchen but close.It feels like home to me.

Gawker has used the occasion of a new Frontline documentary, "AIDS in Black America," to ask a question you probably haven't thought about in two decades (if you ever thought about it at all):

Who gave Magic Johnson HIV, the virus that causes AIDS?

Gawker editor-in-chief A.J. Daulerio posed the question with a post Wednesday challenging Johnson's explanation that he got it from "sleeping with a lot of women."

Daulerio points to studies in Thailand and other research to suggest that Johnson was at very low risk of contracting HIV through sex with women. He also raises what he calls a "Hollywood Babylon-level conspiracy" -- without providing a source for it -- involving "orgiastic L.A. house parties" and "an infamous sex party at Eddie Murphy's mansion, where often times, transexual hookers were involved."

Would you believe the post contains no comment from Murphy? (We reached out to a representative for the actor, who did not immediately respond. A rep for Johnson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)

The post concludes with what one Gawker commenter dubbed "a bounty" for any information about how Johnson contracted the virus (which would be nearly impossible to confirm). Daulerio says a source once approached Deadspin, the Gawker Media site where he previously worked, offering to produce evidence that Johnson had "non-female proclivities" in exchange for "a large sum of money."

He said the company couldn't afford it at the time, but, "I think we can afford to pay more money for this now." (Credible news organizations generally don't pay for stories, in part because money creates an incentive for people to lie.)

The post, as you might have guessed, sparked a slew of comments from Gawker readers broken down into three general groups: those saying this is no one's business, those saying it is, and those saying Gawker's math is off and that Johnson was actually at a fairly high risk of contracting HIV through heterosexual sex, given his number of female sex partners.

Of course, several users also saw the post as a bid for click-throughs.